Shoe protector



July 7, 1970 N. DE VITA 3,518,781

SHOE PROTECTOR Filed June 2. 1969 INVENTOR. NICHOLAS DE VITA a e/arm ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,518,781 SHOE PROTECTOR Nicholas De Vita, 9133 Avenue N., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11236 Filed June 2, 1969, Ser. No. 829,352 Int. Cl. A431) .13/22 US. Cl. 36-72 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shoe protector is shaped like the front portion of a shoe upper and is fixed over the front of a shoe by means of a pair of rearwardly disposed apertures which receive the laces of the shoe therethrough and by means of a tongue fixed to extend rearwardly from the inner side of the shoe protector under the lacing flaps and laces of the shoe, the shoe protector having a rearwardly and downwardly sloping lower edge formed as a drain trench and having a substantially vertical rear edge curled forward to conduct fluid and form a large contact area with the ankle of a wearer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Operators of many production machines find oil or other fluid drips on the uppers or toes of their shoes to rot the leather of their shoes and otherwise cause distress. Ordinary rubbers or other conventional footwear which could protect shoes from dripping fluid are hot and uncomfortable if worn for long periods of time. Further, such conventional protective footwear may not provide a desired shoe sole surface. The shoe protector of this invention is comfortable to wear, is easily fixed to any lace shoes, and provides excellent protection from dripping fluids. This device may also be used by auto mechanics, gas station attendants, painters, and other who find their shoes ruined and their feet soiled by dripping fluids.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side view of a shoe with the protector of my invention fixed thereon;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through a shoe with a shoe protector fixed thereon;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a pair of shoe protectors according to my invention;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a shoe protector; and

FIG. 5 is a rear view of a shoe protector.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Each shoe protector of my invention has a rigid lightweight guard portion 11 formed or shaped to generally correspond to and fit over the front or toe portion 12 of the upper of a shoe 13. Guard portion 11 may be stamped and formed from thin aluminum or other metal sheets, or it may be molded or otherwise formed from any suitable plastic. Guard portion 11 has a drain trench 14 curled from its lower edge. The front toe portion 15 of trench 14 is highest so that trench 14 slopes downward as it extends rearwardly toward both sides of the instep 18 of shoe 13. The rearmost substantially vertical edge 17 of guard portion 11 is curled forward to prevent fluids from running from edge 17 and to provide a large area portion to contact the ankle of a wearer for comfort.

The shoe protector 10 is fixed to a shoe by passing the laces 20 through a pair of eyeleted apertures 21 formed in the top rear edge of guard portion 11. The laces 20 are then tied as shown in FIG. 1. To secure the front of the shoe protector It a tongue 22 of flexible material, such as plastic, is fixed to the forward underside of guard portion 111 by means of rivets 23 and a clamp bar 24. The free end 28 of tongue 22 contains an eyeleted aperture 25 to enable the shoe protectors 10 to be stored by hanging thereby when not in use. Tongue 22 secures the front of shoe protector It} in place by passing it under the laces 20 and the lacing flaps 27 of a shoe 13. The tongue 22 should have its free end 28 extend well back of the upward curled rear edge 17 so that it may be pulled or tugged to position and secure the front of protector 10.

The shoe protector 19 of my invention may be left on work shoes when they are taken off by merely untying laces 2t} and leaving the protectors 10 in place. Two or three sizes of the protectors it} will fit most shoes. The shoe protectors 10 of this invention are inexpensive to make and efiective in use.

While I have shown and described my invention in the best form known to me, it will nevertheless be understood that this is purely exemplary and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be more limited in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

1. Shoe protectors for use with shoes having lacing flaps and laces closing the lacing flaps, each of said shoe protectors comprising, in combination, a lightweight, substantially rigid guard portion shaped to correspond to and fit over the front portion of the upper of a shoe, the lower edges of said guard portion being bent outward and upward to form a rearwardly and downwardly sloping drain trench at its lower edge, said guard portion having a forwardly curled substantially vertical rear edge, and said guard portion containing a pair of apertures in its upper rear portion to receive the laces therethrough; and a tongue of flexible material fixed to the under surface of the front of said guard portion, said tongue having a free and extending beyond the upper rear edge of said guard portion, said tongue being adapted to extend under the lacing flaps and the laces of a shoe to secure the front portion of said guard portion to a shoe.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,245,763 11/1917 Pass 36-72 2,872,745 2/1959 Finegan 36-2 3,040,455 6/1962 Criswell 3672 3,082,553 3/1963 Wilmanns 3672 3,477,147 11/1969 Sauer 362 ALFRED R. GUEST, Primary Examiner 

